You did it! You purchased an amazing whole, pasture-raised chicken. It may feel like it was a bit of an investment, but when you consider that you can get at least three meals from that one chicken it suddenly becomes very economical.
The size of your family and the amount of meat each person eats, will determine that actual number of meals that you can get from one chicken. For a larger family who eats a lot of meat, you may only be able to get two meals. But for an average family, eating a modest amount of meat, it should be no problem to get at least three meals from one chicken.
Meal #1 - Roast Chicken
The first meal will be a roast chicken. Click here to learn more about roasting a chicken. There are a so many great options for side dishes to serve with your roast chicken. Things I might serve with baked chicken: veggies of all sorts, side salad, rice, mashed or baked potatoes.
Meal #2 - Chicken “Casserole”
You should have about 2-3 cups of leftover chicken from the first meal. Use a couple cups to make a casserole or some type of pasta dish. The remaining cup of meat will be used for Meal #3. Here are some ideas:
Chicken Rice Casserole
Chicken Spaghetti
Chicken & Dumplings
Chicken Tacos
Meal #3 - Chicken Soup
When you have picked all usable meat from the carcass, use the bones, skin, joints, and pan juices to make broth. Place all these items in your crock pot along with a chopped onion, chopped celery, chopped carrots, salt, pepper and water. Cook for several hours or overnight. After you have made that lovely broth, use the broth along with the remaining chicken to make some delicious soup. Here are some of our favorite soups:
Chicken Noodle Soup
Chicken Vegetable Soup
Creamy Chicken Rice Soup
Creamy Chicken Broccoli Soup
Wow, three meals from one chicken. This will really help to stretch your food dollar. I know that your family will enjoy those fabulous home-cooked meals too.
I have begun a series on bone broth. Click here if you would like to learn more about the benefits of bone broth.
Blessings,
Diane